Wow! This is a dream slug fest with no backing down from both side. James "The Boilermaker" Jeffries was a natural athlete who could run 100 yards in just over 10 seconds and high jump over 6 feet high with a body weight of 225 lbs. He was 6'1" with a 76" reach while Rocky Marciano was only 5'11" 185lbs with only a 68" reach. Both are undefeated in their prime. I don't consider his lost to Jack Johnson a lost since he was not only past his prime but he came out of a 6 years retirement without a tune up fight. And it took the Great Jack Johnson 15 rounds to beat him. The only blemish on his record is that he has only 23 fights to Rocky 49 fights, so he must of had less experience than Rocky, right? So I thought. Until I count the number of rounds James Jeffries fought and it turn out that he had more rounds under him than Rocky 249 to 241 to be exact because there was no round limit in the old day. All advantage leading toward a James Jeffries victory but Rocky never lost so how can one imagine him lost? Rocky has a great chin so can he take The Boilermaker shot? I can't decide until I look up one more time and I see you put 15 rounds then I decide that Rocky would win a close majority decision because he use to the round limit while James was not use to this type of round limit and fail to see the urgency to build up the lead when necessary. Rocky by majority decision.
Alright, great question once again sir.
James Jeffries was truly a great Heavyweight champion, even though his career was short. He beat the likes of Bob Fitzsimmons, Tom Sharkey, Jack Finnegan, James Corbett, Peter Jackson, and more. He also made a comeback and fought Jack Johnson 6 years after retiring. He fell short however. A fight with Rocky Marciano is always excitement! He never backs down or quits, and just keeps fighting. Rocky beat Jersey Joe Walcott, Roland La Starza, Joe Louis, Ezzard Charles, and Archie Moore. His 49-0 record is a great accomplishment.
James Jeffries has size and strength, and is a tough fighter. He could take the punishment Rocky gives him. But I believe this will be very one-sided for Rocky Marciano, not only because the eras are different, but Rocky was simply too good, and Jeffries will just keep coming, walking into all of Marciano's punches. Jeffries will be taking a beating, but will hang in there a little. Finally, in round 9, it's Suzie Q time, and lights out for Jeffries.
Result: Rocky Marciano by knockout in round 9!
Jeffries was 6-2 and 225 lbs. and was described as quick for his size and very powerful in his prime that succeeding champions including Jack Johnson who was the only man to beat Jeffries in Jeffries' ill-advised return after six years and reducing about a hundred pounds and Jack Dempsey said they would not dare fight in his prime. Jeffries indeed was unbeatable in his prime. Wiki had these to say about the man:
Today, the legacy of Jeffries is widely forgotten. However, he was once considered one of, if not the, greatest Heavyweight Champions of all time by many fellow boxers and boxing experts.
Sam Langford, the great fighter who fought from lightweight to heavyweight, advertised to fight any man in the world, except Jim Jeffries.
Tom Sharkey, heavyweight top contender, thought that Jeffries would have beat Jack Dempsey and Joe Louis on the same night. He said Jefferies was strong like a bull and quick on his feet like a cat. Sharkey called Jeffries the greatest fighter of all time.
Jack Johnson, the only man to beat Jeffries, stated in an interview with Ring Magazine that he thought Jeffries was the greatest. In another interview, Johnson said Jeffries would beat both Jack Dempsey and Joe Louis.
James J. Corbett said of Jeffries, "The thing the always impressed me was the speed the youngster had, and he weighed two-hundred-twenty-five pounds. I hold that Jeffries was the greatest Heavyweight Champion of them all."
Jack Dempsey, the great Heavyweight Champion, once said: "Jim Jeffries was a tough gun. If we could have gotten in the ring together, each at our best... I probably would have had my chin knocked off."
Jeffries would be more than a match for Marciano in what could be a classic slugfest between two powerful, extremely durable warriors..
Marciano was once described as a throwback fighter. They surely have Jeffries in mind when they said that.
Jeffries by late round stoppage.
Marciano won most of his fight only because he was much more fit than his opponent. This time however his opponent Jeffries would be much fitter than Marciano and therefore he would knock the Rock out, in the same way as Rocky knocked his opponents out.
Since I do not consider his comeback to be part of his legacy, I have to go with Jeffries as the winner and better fighter.
Of course I never saw him, but reading what others said about him is enough to think he was better than Marciano.
jeffries (like marciano) was always in supreme condition, but he was more of a plodder.... marciano had a better arsenal of weapons.
jeffries had to come from behind to ko fitz and corbett, while the rock had to rally to ko walcott and charles.
marciano would have taken this by comfortable ud.
I was having a vindaloo in an Indian restaurant, when my stomach started to feel funny.
I dashed to the toilet as quickly as I could. What came out was truly disgusting. It was dark brown and smelled like rotting meat, I nearly threw up.
Luckily, he'd just finished cleaning the toilet so I could go for a s**t.
15 rounds
